Improvement in locks for freight-car doors



w 4 R. H. LANGLIANDS.

Locks for Freight-Car Doors.

N 0.15.6,425. n d Nov. 3,1874.

VIII $14 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ROBERT H-QLANGLANDS, oE' PITTSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF 111s RIGHT TO JosEPH PETERSEN, 0E SAME PLACE.

IMPROVEMENT IN LOCKS FOR FREIGHT-CAR DOORS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 156,425, dated November 3, 74 application filed August 17, 1874.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ROBERT H. LANGLANDS. of Pittsburg, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain Improvements in Freight-Gar Locks and Keepers, of which the following is a specification: The object of' this invention is to provide for the doors of freight-cars a lock which can neither be picked nor surreptitiously displaced, and which will fill all the requirements of a first-class lock for the purpose in view. This invention accordingly consists in the novel construction and combination of parts constituting a lock embedded in the frame of the car at the side of the door-aperture, and formed with its case in two chambered sections placed at right angles to each other, one section containing the tumbler, lever, and

spring, and the other the latch, which latter 1s arranged and adapted to engage with a keeper attached to the door, said keeper havin g a horizontal groove into which the latch projects, said groove having a notch at one end, into which the latch fails to lock the door.

I11 the accompanying drawing, Figure 1 is a front elevation of a freight-car door applied to a freight-car, in connection with my improved lock and keeper. Fig. 2 is a vertical section longitudinally through the chamber containing the tumblers and lever. Fig. 3 is a view of the interior of the chamber containing the latch, the face-plate being removed. Fig. 4 is a front view of the keeper.

The letter A designates the sliding door;

B, the rail upon which it moves; 0, a plate :springs, or other mechanism for controlling the latch, and is provided also with the keypost and key-hole.

The lock is attached to the car by being let into the stud or stanchion at the left-hand side of the door-opening, which is suitably mortised or recessed to receive the section G lengthwise, and the section G crosswise of the carwall, so that only the face of the section G will be exposed of the lock-case. An aperture for the insertion of the key is made in the wall of the car, corresponding with the position of the key-hole in thesection G.

For the purpose of allowing access to the working parts of the lock when repair is re quired, the whole lock may, when necessary, be taken out from the inside of the car. A spring-plate may be employed to guard the key-hole.

A designates the latch, pivoted at its rear end to the section G, and passing through a slot, 9, in the end of the lever g, which projects into said section G. his a hook on the end of the latch for engagement with the lower wall of the keeper-notch d. h k are levers, the latter carrying the fence or lug t". k is the tumbler; 7L3, a spring bearing against the tumbler h h, a spring bearing upon the lever to hold it and the latch down.

Thelatch is raised by a partial revolution of the key, which first strikes a projection, i, on the fence-lever h lifting the latter, and with it the latch-lever g. A lug, 3, projecting from theside of said fence-lever, enters a notch in the lever M, and also one in the tumblers, the latter being thrown into the position for the passage of the lug by the key. When the door is locked the spring h throws the tumbler out of position, so as to prevent the lever 7L5 from being lifted and the door unlocked without the key.

To allow the door to be opened, the latch is raised by the half-revolution of the key, as above described, after which the latter is removed, so that the door may be moved past the key-hole and over it.

The front plate of the section G, having a flange or wing fitting a portion of the back of section G, is made easily removable, so that,

when the lock is taken out, access may be conveniently had to the working parts for repair. The lock may be securely fastened to the car by means of one or more screws passing transversely through section G.

For the escape of water, should any accumulate in the lock or groove of the keeper, suitable holes are made in the bottom of the lock-case and groove-notch.

Having fully described my invention, I claim- I l. Dhe combination of the grooved keeper D, secured in the inner surface of the sliding door, with the lock F embedded in the carwall, and provided with the outwardly-projecting latch H entering and engaging with said keeper, substantially as and for the purpose shown and described.

ROBERT H LANGLANDS.

Witnesses J OHN BLAIR, F. E. NETTLETON. 

